"Yes, that's what she said, Director." Fey talked over the phone in a room by herself.
She nodded oftentimes and other times, she would answer.
"I don't think that's the case."
"Yes, Iesa Hun seemed a little apprehensive. Maybe it is because she found out that she cannot read our minds."
"No, she doesn't seem to have regained her memories at all."
After that call, Fey sighed and murmured.
"What's going on? You give her full freedom but we still need to watch over her when making a visit. Is that really full freedom?"
....
Teren just got home after making a deal with Eron from the Drago House. The deal was simple. Eron has to make a way for false information to spread, misleading others who will try to catch him.
Whatever method it was, whether using their spies to make false witnesses that they saw the Devil HImself in another city or just plain hack the SSDA's network, Eron need to get it done.
Of course, Teren doesn't fully trust Eron and whether he will make his work done right or not.
"I need to be prepared. I'm home!" he shouted.
He further entered to see his mother still on the couch and watching some television.
"Huh? Why are you here?" his mother asked when she saw him.
"It's the monthly exam today, did you forget?"
Teren's mother smirked and shook her head.
"How can I forget? I didn't even know in the first place."
"Touche..." Teren then went to his room to change when he heard his mother suddenly asked.
"Don't you want to get out of this city?"
"Huh...?" Teren peeked his head out.
"I asked, don't you want to get out of this city?"
"No?" he answered, not knowing why his mother was asking him that.
"Why not? Do you like it here?"
"..." Teren paused for a moment before answering in a low voice, "No..."
"Then why not leave?"
"... Why would I leave?" Teren didn't wait for his mother to reply. He just closed the door and looked at himself in the mirror.
"Leave and hide? Leave? Hide?"
"Why would I do that?"
"Why do I even fear them?"
"Afraid of death?"
"I'm not afraid of death..."
"..."
Teren sighed and dropped on the bed. He placed one of his arms over his eyes and murmured.
"Who am I kidding? I can't just leave because I don't want to leave her. Tsk! Did I really fall in love with someone? I thought I'm a psychopath... and this time, it's going to cost me my life."
There was this silence first before he removed his arm and looked at the ceiling. A smile curled on his face.
"What's wrong with that? I've already decided. Leave and hide? I'm going to stay here and kill everyone who enters the city. They dare intrude my normal life? If not for them, I would've confessed to Iesa by now."
He sat up and looked at himself in the mirror to see a reddened face. This face soon twitched.
"Okay, maybe not only because of them but because it's fucking embarrassing too."
"Hmm... yes, this is good."
Teren finally had his resolve. His feet fidgeted in excitement.
"It's not that I fear them. It's because I don't get anything from destroying them. Leaving and hiding is the best solution. But that was before. Okay, I've decided, I'm going to let the Handwing Gang grow big while I betray the Drago House and take their spot for the upcoming Spirit War. I win that stupid Spirt War again, go to the Spirit Plane, take all the Great Spirits, get stronger and boom, all of them will all be under my thumb while I enjoy torturing whoever is behind this all, probably the head of the SSDA."
After another pause, he stood up, shaking his head while letting out a sigh.
"I can't believe that after all the defending I did, I will take my turn to attack now for one woman. Who knew psychopaths like me can love?"
Teren cringed at his own words first before he went out again and headed out to the police station where he met the old detective.
Once there, he was pointed to the place where the office of the old detective was. Teren went there while skipping and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
The old detective looked at Teren and was surprised.
"Oh, it's you. What brings you here today?"
Teren sat down first. His face was now void of expression.
"Old man, I'm going to be straightforward. I'm the current owner of the Heren City and the Handwing Gang. Hand over your Spectra Gang or you'll lose your life."
"..."
The old detective, Mister Derman, almost went straight to the end of his life from the blow Teren just gave him.
Seeing that Mister Derman was speechless, Teren took out his knife and stabbed onto the table.
"I'll not ask again."
"How..."
Teren raised an eyebrow.
"How did you know that I'm the boss of the Spectra Gang?"
Mister Derman's hoarse voice sounded in a low voice.
"You can't hide your two Spirits in you. Although it's just Spirit of Longevity and Spirit of Sight. But having two is already great. Even one of you has the Spirit of Vision and Spirit of Ghoul."
Teren then ended right then and there as if he got tired of explaining.
Mister Derman was still unable to answer so Teren lost a bit of patience and rested his arms on the table. With a low voice, he said.
"You're too far from qualifying for the Spirit War. Stop having high ambitions at your old age. You're not an old fox, you're just old. You haven't even meant a young fox, haven't you?"
Although it was just a whisper, Mister Derman received this heavier than others.
As the saying goes, the older one gets, the more fearful one is towards death.. In front of the Devil Himself, Mister Derman could only make an oral promise.